Lawsuit Against City, Police Claims Dog Was Shot 15 Times Over Several Hours

DETROIT (WWJ) - The owner of a dog killed by police in 2013 has filed a lawsuit in Detroit.

Brittany Preston of St. Clair Shores, through her attorney, filed a federal lawsuit [PDF FILE] after her one and a half year old, mixed breed dog named Lexi was shot multiple times by police in St. Clair Shores.

The lawsuit claims that police were called to the scene of a loose pitbull early morning on November 22, 2013 and by police dashboard cam accounts one of the officers at the scene was predetermined to shoot the dog.

An attorney for Preston released a statement which includes the scenario that upon arrival and approach of the dog, police dash camera video obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request recorded an officer saying, "The only thing I'm going to do is shoot it. I do not like dogs. I don't do snares. I don't do dogs. I'll shoot the <expletive> thing" and "I'm gonna shoot it anyway."

The suit also claims that "it is unreasonable to show up for a barking dog complaint with an express premeditated intent to shoot her and then to repeatedly shoot her. When Lexie did not die, they apparently took her and shot her several more times."